


Follow Me

by playmelikeyourstratovarius



Category: Sherlock (TV), Sherlock Holmes & Related Fandoms
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Character Death, Death, Happy Ending, M/M, Suicide
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-09
Updated: 2013-04-09
Packaged: 2017-12-08 00:07:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,866
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/754670
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/playmelikeyourstratovarius/pseuds/playmelikeyourstratovarius
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Severin and Richard get caught up in the Moriarty problem.<br/>Very angsty.</p><p>TW: suicide references, suicide.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Follow Me

Severin was bored, utterly bored. He hadn’t seen Richard since that morning, when they had woken up together in the happy, groggy state that came just after a great orgasm and a beautiful night of rest. He remembered that moment almost perfectly, could still feel the way Richard’s fingers flitted over his skin, as if it had just happened, was still happening. The way Richard’s eyes had lit up when Severin had appeared at his door with flowers - tiger lilies, his favourite. The way that Richard’s grin had brightened and become watery with joy when Severin had asked him to marry him.

_”I don’t mind doing all these dangerous things, risking my life every day, if it means I can come home to you every night,” Severin said, lifting the lid of the the black velvet box from where he was kneeling before the sofa._

_Richard squealed - actually squealed, the cutest damned thing - as his hands fluttered about his face and in front of his chest and through his hair, all while his mind had scrambled for words, for some response. Finally, the actor had managed to squeak a yes, nodding emphatically, holding his hand out for Severin to slip the ring on._

_Severin had, and then he had kissed Richard with great fervor, scooping the tiny body into his arms and carrying him down the hallway to their bedroom, the younger of the two giggling and crying happy tears the entire way._

As it stood, he hadn’t seen or heard from Richard since he had left the man’s flat after breakfast. They still lived separately - something Severin was planning to rectify very, very directly - and the Moran twin had had to go back to his place to get some new clothes and to do a bit of work. Richard had promised that he would call, that he would most definitely call and let Severin know when he was done on set today, so that he could come over again.

Severin really hadn’t started worrying until about five or six o’clock. And that was only because he hadn’t gotten any texts, at all. Richard had busy days, sure, but he always sent the older man a text during lunch, or a photo of him messing around while filming, or something like that.

_Hey, lion! x I’ve got an hour and a half for lunch, so I’m free to talk now. :-) RB_

_Hi, Rin! One of the cameras is malfunctioning, so I have a minute if you want to call me and talk! RB_

_Sevvy! Look at this awful sweater they’ve got me in for this scene, isn’t it horrendous? RB [1 Photo Attachment]_

Severin had tried calling around four, but he had gotten nothing but Richard’s cheery voicemail message. It had served to calm the gunman down a bit, but it didn’t take him completely off the edge.

_[“Hey, you’ve got Richard Brook! I’m busy right now, but if you’d pretty please leave me a message, I’ll get back as soon as I can!”]_

_“Oh. Well, hey, bunny. It’s me. Just miss you, I guess. I really hope you’re having a good day, working hard. Call me back as soon as you get a second, okay? I’ll be here, waiting. Love you, so much. Bye, then.”_

Severin fixed himself a plate of leftover tacos that he had made the night before while waiting for Richard to get home. He flopped down on the sofa with a soft groan, reaching for his remotes, turning the cable box and the telly on, waiting for them both to warm up. When the did, the news was on. Usually, he would have flipped the channel immediately, rolling his eyes and scoffing. Nothing bored the younger Moran more than watching the news.

However, the sight he saw on his screen made his jaw drop, made his plate fall to the floor and break on his threadbare rug. Jim, in his immaculate suit, hair done perfectly, sprawled on his back, blood pooling around his head, gun clutched in his left hand. His heart froze in his chest, and his hands started shaking. No, no that couldn’t be right. That was...no, that was never part of the plan, that wasn’t the solution to the final problem, that wasn’t what Jim wanted. An accident? Had the plan been compromised?

 **Oh, god. Richard.** Severin’s mind snapped immediately to his fiance, the man who barely held himself together when his cat had to be put down. He had to be watching the news right now, Richard watched the news religiously, every night, just to check up on his brother, watch the progress of the older Moriarty’s plot in the only way that he was really allowed. How would he react seeing this? Maybe that’s why he hadn’t gotten anything back?

Before he could think, the gunman was on his feet, launching himself towards the door. he grabbed his coat and his gun holster, hastily strapping it to himself on the way down the stairs. By the time he hit the street, he was shrugging into his jacket. A cab would take too long, he was much faster on foot, and Richard’s flat wasn’t too far away from his own. He sprinted, full-speed down the walk, weaving through people, mumbling apologies if he brushed too close.

His mind was full of nothing but concern for his poor, sweet Richard, and his worry levels only escalated when he climbed the stairs to the younger male’s flat and found the door just barely open. He pulled his gun from its holster, clutching tightly in his hand, licking his lips. “Richie?” he called, pushing the door open slowly, walking cautiously into the entryway.

“Sevvy?”

There was no denying that sweet, innocent voice, and Severin breathed a sigh of relief, walking towards the living room. “Oh, bunny, I was so scared. I saw the news, and --” Immediately after he turned the corner, his body froze, gun arm snapping upwards, leveling the weapon directly at the man sitting in the plush brown armchair.

Jim, it was Jim. There he sat, slender fingers steepled before his chin, gently tapping against his lips. He was dressed sharply, his hair was perfect as always, that stupid smug smirk rested on his lip.

“Sevvy,” Jim said again, and Severin silently damned himself for believing it for a second.

“You’re dead, I saw you dead, you fuck!” Severin was across the room in an instant, barrel of his gun just inches from Jim’s head. It was then that he caught sight of stirrings in the shadows, and Sebastian stepped forward, leveling his own gun at his brother’s head. The younger Moran’s eyes widened in surprise, flickering madly from Jim to Sebastian. “What the hell is going on here?” he gritted out through his teeth.

“I needed to...disappear, Rinny-Rin,” Jim said, grin curling the corners of his lips up in a dark way. “I needed to duck under the radar, to get away from Holmes’ prying eyes to plan and set up my empire. You know, I’m spreading over the channel? I’ve got people in France now. France!” He chuckled, shaking his head and resting back against the chair, slender arms resting on the arms of the chair, legs crossing.

“But how...” It was then that everything started to click in his brain. “No. No, no, no.”

“Oh, yes, Sevvykins.” Jim sounded pleased as punch that the gunman had figured it out on his own. “I needed to disappear, to die without dying, and our little Richie was the best way for me to do so. He said I should tell you he loves you, and he’s...sorry, or something like that.” The criminal’s lips sneered over the sentiment, and his dark, dark eyes rolled.

Severin didn’t know what to do. He was lost, spinning, his knees dissolved into jelly, and he fell to the floor. Richard was dead. Richard was dead. Richard was **dead.** Jim had forced Richard to kill himself, just so that the empire didn’t topple. His fiance, his beautiful little bunny, now was laying cold and dead in a mortuary somewhere.

“It really was for the best, Rin. Richie didn’t die for noth--!”

The criminal was off by a strong, rough hand against his throat, crushing his windpipe. Jim’s face started to turn red, but he didn’t struggle, he just grinned. It was Sebastian that finally reacted, striking his brother in the temple with the butt of his handgun, knocking him back.

Severin crumpled onto the carpet, curling into a ball, tears stinging at his eyes. He didn’t know if they were because of the blow, or because his insides were being shredded as he processed the fact that Richard was gone forever, never coming back. The thought made Severin mindlessly click the safety on his weapon off. There was an echo as Sebastian did the same, but nobody moved.

Not until Severin lifted the gun, wrapped his lips around the barrel. It tasted cold and bitter, but he didn’t flinch away from it.

“Oi, Sev!”

“Let him do it, Sebby. This way you can disappear, too.”

A quick flick of his index finger, and that was it. No pain, no awareness that he was dying. Good, that was good. At least he knew for sure that Richard hadn’t suffered much. God knew that if anyone didn’t deserve to suffer, it was the younger Moriarty.

_”...hurt?”_

_Severin fluttered in the hazy state between consciousness and unconsciousness, eyelids flickering and a groan leaving his lips at the sight of a bright, bright light, right in his eyes. “Wha...?” he managed to mumble out, voice groggy and gravelly._

_“I said, does it hurt? Mine didn’t, not too badly.”_

_Severin could have cried at the warm feeling of slender fingers flitting nervously over his cheek, his temple, his neck. And he did, he let the tears fall, eyes squeezed shut tight. “Richie,” he choked out._

_“Shush, lion, it’s okay. Crying makes it hurt.” The hands carefully framed his face, index finger tapping against his cheekbone gently. Just a few minutes later, he felt the soft familiarity of lips against his own, and he was leaning into the kiss, still quietly choking on his sobs._

_His eyes fluttered open again, blinking against the bright light, focusing in on the face hovering over him. The familiar features, the mussed up brown hair. His eyes flicked downwards, blinking at the deep red cardigan and dark jeans that clad his lover’s body. “Bunny...”_

_“Thank you for following me,” he whispered. “I don’t think I could have enjoyed this paradise, this afterlife if I couldn’t have you.”_

_With that, another kiss was placed against the gunman’s stuttering lips, silencing him, pushing all the thoughts of why and how and what, leaving him with nothing but pure happiness in his heart. Richard was all his now, with no more worrying about their brothers, no more risking their lives every day._

_“I love you,” the gunman whispered as they pulled apart to breathe._

_“Love you even more, Sevvy,” Richard replied, eyes bright and smile brighter. “Now, get up, let’s go. I found a really nice place that we could have the wedding."_

**Author's Note:**

> Oh my god, my feels while writing this were all over the place. This really hurt to do. But I put the happy ending on because if anyone deserves it, it's Richie and Sev. Plus, I never right anything with a happy ending, so here we go!
> 
> Feel free to leave me a comment, or drop by my [tumblr ask box](http://playmelikeyourstratovarius.tumblr.com) to leave feedback!  
> Thank you so much for reading!


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